Editor: Historical facts about Azerbaijan often
get misrepresented and distorted in the media, invariably to
the detriment of Azerbaijan. Frequently, the problems relate
to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which has been subject
to aggression and occupation by Armenia [since 1988]. (See Karabakh Conflict)

Unfortunately, even reputable and authoritative news sources
make damaging mistakes as is true with several recent news items
that appeared in Reuters. The letter below was written to the
news agency by one of Azerbaijan's youth, Adil Baguirov.
______

Dear Reuters News Staff,
In one of your recent reports there is a disturbing description
of Karabakh, historically a region of Azerbaijan, as being "controlled...[by
Azerbaijan] since the 1920s. [September 28, 2002 and (October
1, 2002].

One doesn't have to go back very far in history to find that
Karabakh and the seven Azerbaijani regions (Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil,
Zangilan, Gubadli, Lachin and Kalbajar) currently held under
illegal Armenian military occupation), are Azerbaijani and have
long been recognized as such. When the Russian Empire began its
expansion policy into the Caucasus in the late 18th and early
19th centuries, the Karabakh Khanate-an independent Azerbaijani
kingdom ruled by an Azerbaijani khan or local king-signed a bilateral
treaty with the Russian czar in 1805, who recognized Karabakh
as a Muslim and Azerbaijani territory with its own hereditary
rule.

The same was true, by the way, of other Azerbaijani khanates,
including those on the territory where the Republic of Armenia
is geographically located today, such as Erevan Khanate (also
ruled by an Azerbaijani khan).

Since that treaty, the indigenous Azerbaijani population drastically
reduced-proportionally as the Armenian population increased.
"After the Russian Empire eventually took control over the
region in 1813, Azerbaijani Turks began to emigrate from Karabakh
while the Armenian population of mountainous (Nagorno) Karabakh
grew." (Source: Fact Sheet: History of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Conflict, March 30, 2001, U.S. State Department).

During the pre-Soviet years, including during the brief period
of Azerbaijan's independence (1918-1920), Karabakh remained part
of Azerbaijan. All official maps indicate this. When the Soviets
took over in 1920, the ethnic jerrymandering masterminded by
Stalin and Mikoyan arbitrarily created an autonomous region of
Karabakh (NKAO) inside Azerbaijan. Moreover, Stalin went so far
as to give away Zangazur to Armenia, and thus divided Azerbaijan
into two parts. That's how the Nakhchivan region, came to be
an exclave, separated from the main part of Azerbaijan. The rest
is, as we say, history.

Hopefully, this unfortunate ambiguity and description in your
reporting which is not consistent with the true facts will not
reappear.